Kobbie Mainoo missed out on England's third-place play-off clash against France with a back injury and his return to Manchester United has been detailed.
Manchester United's midfield situation is quite interesting...
moreVideos
Kobbie Mainoo had an incredibly interesting season last term. You could not find a bigger contrast in his role under two different head coaches.
Ruben Amorim had no plans for the midfielder to be in his team, and the England international almost departed the club on loan last summer.
Despite being convinced to stay, Mainoo would not start in any of the Premier League games while the Portuguese boss was in charge.
But then, after Michael Carrick took charge following Amorim's departure, Mainoo was a key figure in Manchester United's turnaround. He was a crucial component of the most in-form team in the country.
That form earned Mainoo an England call-up for the World Cup, but Thomas Tuchel decided against using him at all in the engine room, opting instead for full-backs Reece James and Nico O'Reilly to move into midfield when needed.
It was expected that Mainoo would start England's third-place play-off game against France after they were knocked out of the tournament at the semi-final stage by Argentina.
However, it was revealed ahead of kick-off that the United midfielder had suffered a back injury in the lead-up to the game and would be unavailable.
‘He had a sharp pain in the back within the training and he was not ready to play,’ Tuchel told reporters.
England ended up winning the game 6-4, with Arsenal star Bukayo Saka scoring a hat-trick. It was arguably one of the most entertaining games of the tournament as the Three Lions picked up their bronze medals.
Fortunately for those at Old Trafford, it appears that Mainoo's back injury is not a serious issue and he will be able to join up with the Reds ahead of the new campaign.
The Athletic has reported that Mainoo's issue was the type of injury that normally results in a player missing just one game, and it is unlikely to have any impact on his pre-season plans.
The 21-year-old is expected to join up with Carrick's squad in Dublin from 10 August. United are set to face Leeds United at Croke Park two days later in their penultimate friendly clash.
Interestingly, United will then face Italian giants AC Milan ahead of their return to Premier League action, and the Serie A club are now managed by Amorim.
Mainoo will certainly be looking at proving his former head coach wrong in that fixture as he gets back to full fitness ahead of the new season.